Safety device for automobile clutch controllers



June 22 1926.

o. KUGLER, SR

SAFETY DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILE OLUTOH CONTROLLERS Filed May 25, 1924 2 Sheds-Sheet 1 June 22 1926.

O. KUGLER, SR

SAFETY DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILE CLUTCH CONTROLLERS Filed May 23. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVINTR f Mile?" r', 46

' orfro KUGLER, sa., or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILE CLUTCH CONTROLLERS.

V' Applicationled'lay 23, 1924. Srial No. 715,288.

My invention relates to new and useful improven'ients in a safety device for automobile clutch controllers, ticularly to improvements No. 1,544,324: dated June 30 clutch vcontroller for automobiles,

the provision of means for its primary object and .more paron ymy vPatent 1925 for safety and has to disengage the connector between the brake pedal and link plate whereby the brake may be actuated without operating the controller.

Another object of 'construct the safety -this invention-is to so device' that it will have clutch is disengaged when plic'ation of Vthe especially when brake which 'descending a steep grade.

making -anapis undesirable,

By lkeeping the 'clutch renga'gecl ,the engine will provide a drag when automobile. exceeds the speed 'of the that of the engine The provision of' mywsafetyfdevice will permit the use of' the brake without disengaging Ythey clutch thus giving vantage of the engi-ne with his brakes.

the operator theY addrag in conjunction lVith these ends in View, `this invention consists in the details ycombination of elements of construction and hereinafter set forth and then specically designated by lthe claims.

- In order that thosefskilled in the arit to which this invention appertain's,

sta-nd how to make-fand use describe its construction in byfnumerals to yforming a partv of this -whichz-e Fig. l, isv l safety clutch controller though looking case', which is illustrated from the side opposite safety device associated showing the Vbrake pedal and link simultaneous movement.

may underthe same, I will detail, referring the accompanying drawings application, in

an inner sideelevation .of .the

mechanism .as

through the' transmission in dotted lines,

the pedals, with the therewith and parte 1n .one positmiV` with 'the plate. cenneet-edy for Fig. 2, is asimilar vewhcwingtheceenneetor' disengaged the safety Ydevice te. perni pedalv -fwitliout actuating fnieehanism.

the link platev .bjy

't :ci 4'the brake,...

in vdifferent positions place by suitable: as stud bolts.y

:,nie'ans, with which 1s device showing it in the. position for lifting the connecting clevis.

Fig. 4, is a Ysimilar view` showing. the device in the position forV depressing the con'- nectin'g clevis.

Fig 5, is an edgeorplan view of the spring varm actuating lever. y

In carrying out m invention as `herein embodied, an automo ile transmission casing is shownlin dotted lines andwindicated by the. numeral. 14. Associated with this casingforl actuating .the various elements of the Atransmission `are a Hnumber of .shafts and dalsincluding a `reverse pedalnshaft l5 with a reverse pedal 16v fixed thereto, a slow speed shaft 17' with a clutch pedal 18 fixed thereto, abrake pedal Vshaft 19l with a brake pedal 20fixed..thereio and 'aclutch lever shaft 21 with a clutch lever 22 fixed thereto. To one. endv of the clutchlever 22 `is attached afsuitable. connection23 "which is also' attached to the freeend ofthepen'dant 24 formingnJ part; of the; clutch ypedal 18. The other endof :the .clutch lever v22 carries an adjusting screw 25 which is held by "a check nut 26.

This adjusting screw coacts with the speed Alever 27 fixed tothe ordinary controller shaft 28 which latteractuates theemerge-ncy brakes. The'partsso far referred t'o relate to the well known Ford .transmission of Vthe planetary typeiand therefore havefnot been. described in detail.

On the controller .shaft 28 is loosely `journ'alled a. cam platef29 having.. a split bearing 30 the parts ,ofwhich are vheld in fastening devicesV 31 such y The outer. or freeend 'of the cam plate forms a cam surfacev for. coacti-on with la tr'unnion 32'passinglthroug the linkv plate 3-3 rwhich `iis oscifllatingly and slid'ably connected with the cam plate. i

Adjacent thenpper Aor outer. free .endof the link plate `isa pin y34, 'or veqilivalent adapted. to register the notch '35m the' lower edge ofthe clevis 36 .havingihrewded connection with; axrod for'V adjnstlibilitybzlatr being. pivotclamp' BSzdetichably messed at' .its end-with-a- 'suitable Y astell'edto the 'brake -LA"illiptemsnmryvoneeeedaryaemehflever 139 .is :suitably :j .upon `.thep;clutch #the insmeren-usual h the set i 4l through which clutch lever and one end of said secondary clutch lever is pivoted to the link plate 33 by means of the aforementioned trunnion 32 carried by the secondary clutch lever 39. At the outer or free end of the secondary clutch lever is located a set screw 40 which impinges on the upper edge of the primary clutch lever 22 in order that the secondary clutch lever 39 may be adjusted relative to the primary clutch lever.

The above description of the safety clutch controller relates to a device substantially the same'as the one described in my copending application hereinbefore referred to and when the notch 35 is in registration with the pin 34 the operation is identical and therefore a detailed description of the construction and operation will not be entered into. In stanting the car the clutch pedal is actuated in the ordinary manner but after this it is unnecessary to use the clutch pedal during ordinary operation of the automobile and the brake may be applied without danger of the engine being started even though said clutch pedal is not touched this is due to the fact ethat as the brake pedal is moved forward, as when for a slight application of the brakes, t-he trunnion `32 will be caused to ride over the cam surface ofthe cam plate 29 thus extending the link plate relative to the cam plate causing the secondary clutch lever 39 to be tilted because of its pivotal connection with the link pedal, and through the medium of screw 40 will actuate the main or primary clutch lever The operation of the primary clutch lever 22 will actuate the clutch lever 21 so as to shift the parts to a neutral position and disengage ythe clutch without actually applying the brakes but if desired the brake pedal may be forced forwardly suficient to make a complete application of the brakes.

From this it will be seen that each time the brake .pedal is actuated t-he clutch is disengaged which overcomes the disadvantage of having to first actuate the Yclutch pedal for releasing the clutch and ,to then actuate the brake pedal with the other foot.

Under some conditions it is undesirable -to release or disengage the clutch member during an application of instance, when descending a deep grade for at such a time the drag of the engine in conjunction with the brakes can be used in keeping'the automobile under control, thereflore in order to utilize this engine drag I have provided means fory disen'gaging the clevis from the pin 34 on the link plate in order that said link 4.plate will not be actuated when the brake pedal is operated.

Inorder to disengage the clevis 35 from the pin 34 I provide said clevis with a slot projects the outer free end 42 carried by a lever 43 ,the brakes, as for of a spring arm clutch will remain which is pivoted as at 44 to a. suitable bracket 45. At the end of the' lever 43 to which the arm 42 is connected is a finger 46 which underlies the arm 42 so as to practically shorten the working portion of the arm or stiifen the same when in its raised position, as shown in Fig. 3, while the other end of the lever 43 is bifurcated or forked as at 47 for registration with the reduced portion of the operating rod 48, said reduced portion being provided by forming a circumferential groove intermediate the ends of the operating rod which latter is suitably journalled and slidably mounted in portions of the bracket 45. The bracket 45 is fastened in any suit-able manner to a desirable portion of the automobile yframe designated by the numeral 49 and said bracket is further provided with two spaced notches 50 and 5l with either of which may register a pin 52 carried by the operating rod. Said operating rod is provided with any suitable handle 53. f

When it is necessary or desirable to retain ,the connecting clevis 36 in workable engagement with therlink -plate 33, or in other words retain the notch 35 of the clevis in registration with the pin 34, the operating rod 48 is raised to the position shown in Figs. l and 4 where it vmay be maintained by insertion of the pin 52' in the slotI 50 which is accomplished by rotating theoperating rod 48 through the medium of this handle. In this position the resilient arm 42 is bowed downward so that a spring tension is always maintained on the connecting clevis.

To disconnect the clevis36 from the link plate 33, or disengage the notch 35 from the pin 34, the operating rod 48 is yrotated to Withdraw the pin 52 from the slot 50 and then said operating rod is moved downward. This will aotuate the lever 43 and li-ft the arm 42 thereby raising the clevis 36 to the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3. f

After the connecting clevis 36 has been disengaged from the pin 34 so as to operate independently-of the link plate 33 the brakes may be applied without affecting the clutch controller mechanism and therefore the in engagement so that as t-he automobile exceeds the speed of the engine, said engine will provide a drag on the transmission thereby assisting in keeping` the automobile under control.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction as herein shown as these may be varied within the limits of the appended claims withoutdeparting from the spirit o-f my invention. Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful is l. The combination with an automobile clutch controller'including the usual pedals of an automobile transmission and a link plate, the latter' provided with a pin, of a connecting clevis having one end pivotally connected with a brake` pedal for movement therewith and further having means adjacent the other end for temporary engagement with the pin on the link plate whereby said cent the other end for temporary engage-y the link plate where y ment with the pin on unison, said connectsaid parts will move in ing clevis also having manually operable means associated with the connecting clevis, and a resilient member carried by said means and projecting into the slot in the connecting clevis whereby the operation of said means will raise or lower the connecting clevis to place it, in inoperative or operative condition respectively relative to the pin on the link plate.

3. The combination with an automobile clutch controller including the usual pedals a slot in its tree end,

of an automobile transmission and a link plate, the latter provided with a pin, of a connecting clevis having one end pivota-lly connected with a brake pedal for movement therewith and further having means adjacent the other end for temporary engagement with the pin on the link plate whereby said parts will move in unison, said connecting clevis having a slot in its free end, a bracket attachable to a support adjacent the slotted end of the connecting clevis, said bracket having a pair of spaced vnotches therein, an operating rod rotatably and slidably mounted in the bracket, a pin on said rod for insertion in either o'l the bracketl notches, a suitable handle on said operating rod, a lever pivoted to the bracket and operatively connected with the operating rod, a resilient' arm carried by the lever and projecting into the slot in the connecting clevis whereby the latter may be raised or lowered and held under tension in either position by the operation of the operating rod, and a linger carried by the lever and underlying the resilient arm to engage the latter intermediate its ends when in a raised position.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto afliXed my signature.

oTTo KUGLER, sa. 

